Keeping it Close to Home

Minister Pangestu: Indonesia Tourism to Focus on Asian and Regional Markets in 2013

To achieve this goal, Indonesia’s Minister of Tourism and the Creative Economy, Mari Elka Pangestu, says the focus in 2013 must be on Asian and regional markets. Speaking while attending the Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena, California (USA) on New Year’s Day, Pangestu said: “We will rely on visitors from around the Asian region. In a crisis situation, people travel to closer destinations.”

Indonesia’s Tourism Minister hopes that tourists from Asia will compensate for any shortfall in visitors from Europe, and the U.S.A., which are still experiencing troubled economies. For this reason, she remains optimistic that total number of tourism visitors to Indonesia will continue to grow in 2013.

Pangestu cites the Indonesian experience in 2012, when it managed to achieve growth in tourism numbers of around 5%, despite lingering economic woes in the U.S.A. and Europe. “This is still above the 3-4% average international growth in tourism numbers,” boasted Pangestu.

No Protection
The Ministry of Tourism and the Creative Economy warned that the government would not takes steps to protect Indonesian jobs in the tourism sector in the period leading up to the establishment of the ASEAN Free Trade Zone .

“Protection is no longer acceptable. We will concentrate on enhancing Indonesia’s competitiveness, “ warned I Gde Pitana, the head of the Ministry’s Department for the Development on Human Resources.

He said that the ASEAN Economic Community to take come into force in 2015 would provide for the free movement of merchandise, services and workers within the entire ASEAN region.

Pitana said that measures to increase Indonesia’s competitiveness are coming from Indonesia’s tourism sector where training, certification and skill enhancement are being undertaken.

Pitana also said that the quality of Indonesia’s tourism workers is proven by the number of Indonesian nationals holding top management positions at spas and hotels internationally.